The Japanese are big fans of traveling abroad, and there are hundreds of travel agencies that provide cheap package tours to various destinations, along with dozens of TV programs that showcase the best vacation spots around the world. The other day I was flipping channels and stopped at a familiar site: my home town of San Diego, California. It was a show called “Let’s Enjoy the Seven Seas” in which beach-loving comedians Mimura Masakazu and Otake Kazuki — who form a manzai duo called “Summers” — travel to resort destinations like Tahiti, the Bahamas and Australia’s Gold Coast, reporting on things that are important to Japanese travelers like the cost of rooms, the quality of the food and even the strength of the water pressure in the showers. The duo traveled all around San Diego, eating at my favorite Hawaiian Shave Ice shop in Pacific Beach and exploring exotic resort hotels in La Jolla. The show awarded San Diego its coveted five star rating, saying it matched the top-ranked Hawaii in terms of fun activities for tourists while providing the perfect climate free from unpleasant humidity.
The Japanese love traveling to exotic locations.
